Brain & Spine Surgery

URochester Medicine offers the latest and most advanced surgical treatments unavailable at any other hospital in the Rochester region. Our experts are driven by one goal: helping you get back to the life you love—with better outcomes and a better quality of life.

Spine Surgery

Many spine conditions can be treated without surgery. When surgery is necessary, our neurosurgeons and spine specialists perform procedures ranging from minimally invasive techniques to complex spinal reconstruction.

We treat conditions including:

• Herniated discs
• Spinal stenosis
• Degenerative disc disease
• Cervical and lumbar radiculopathy
• Spinal deformities
• Spinal tumors
• Spine trauma
• Spinal cord compression
• Nerve compression

Types of Spine Surgery

Our surgeons perform a full range of procedures, including:

• Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) — commonly performed procedure used to treat cervical radiculopathy.
  
• Discectomy — removing a herniated or degenerative disc in the spine.
• Dorsal Column Stimulation (DCS) — electricity is delivered to the spinal cord through an implanted electrode to help with pain.
• Foraminotomy — enlarging area around compressed nerves in the spine. 
• Kyphoplasty — a balloon is inserted into a fracture in the spine and inflated, the space it creates within the bone is filled with "cement" that then acts as a permanent "cast."
• Laminotomy and laminectomy — removes part of the spinal bone that covers the spinal canal, the lamina.
• Microdiscectomy— uses a special microscope or magnifying instrument to treat a herniated disc through a smaller incision, causing less damage to surrounding tissue.
• Spinal Decompression — relieves pressure on important structures in the spine.
• Spinal Fusion — procedure that permanently connects two or more vertebrae to stabilize the spine.
• Vertebroplasty — involves injecting bone cement into fractured or collapsed vertebra of the spine.

Spine Center

Patients seeking spine care also have access to the Spine Center, where diagnosis, imaging, treatment, and rehabilitation are available in one location.

The Spine Center brings together experts from Orthopaedics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and other specialties, making it easier to coordinate care while reducing the need for multiple appointments at different locations.

Services include:

• Specialist consultations
• CT and MRI imaging
• Diagnostic testing
• Spine injections
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation

Neuro Spine Care

Our approach to brain and spine care considers the nervous system as a whole. Our Integrated Spine Care team brings together specialists from Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, and other disciplines to develop personalized treatment plans that may include physical therapy, injections, medication, or surgery when needed. 

Brain Surgery

Our neurosurgeons provide advanced surgical care for a wide range of brain conditions, including:

• Brain tumors
• Movement disorders
• Hydrocephalus
• Pituitary tumors
• Skull base disorders
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Epilepsy

Types of Brain Surgery

• Craniectomy — removing a portion of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain.
• Craniotomy — making an opening in the skull to gain access to the brain.
• Deep Brain Stimulation — uses electrical stimulation to treat neurological conditions.
• Skull Base Surgery — special instruments are inserted through the skull's natural openings (e.g., nose, mouth and above the eyes) to operate rather than accessing the brain through a craniotomy.
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery — a specialized radiation procedure in which the radiation is delivered in one dose.
• Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunt (VPS) — drains excess fluid from the cavities in the brain, called ventricles.

University of Rochester Medicine is a world-class integrated academic health system, which means our experts provide outstanding patient-centered care while conducting breakthrough research. We provide the widest range of orthopaedic, neurosurgery, and neuromedicine care in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region. 

At URochester Medicine, patients benefit from:

• Fellowship-trained neurosurgeons with nationally-recognized expertise in complex brain and spine surgery
• Collaborative and coordinated care between Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Neurology, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Access to minimally invasive surgical techniques
• Advanced imaging and diagnostic technology
• Comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery services
• Access to clinical research and innovative treatments available through our fully integrated academic health system

Whether you need surgery for a brain tumor, spinal stenosis, a herniated disc, or another neurological condition, our multidisciplinary team works together to provide expert, compassionate care close to home.